Maharashtra: 68 cops died of Covid in April, second highest in a month

April 2021 has turned out to be the second deadliest month of Covid-19 pandemic for the Maharashtra Police, as the force lost 68 personnel to the infection

April 2021 has turned out to be the second deadliest month of Covid-19 pandemic for the Maharashtra Police, as the force lost 68 personnel to the infection. The police force saw the highest of 89 Covid deaths in September 2020, followed by 55 deaths in August. This year January, February and March together saw a total of 36 fatalities.

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The second wave of Covid-19 has led to more fatalities in the police department, despite nearly 85% of its personnel having received the first dose of vaccine and 50% having received both the doses.

Last month, the police force recorded more than 6,000 new cases of Covid-19. In the past 24 hours, 165 new cases, including 25 officers and 140 constables, were reported.

Cities where the police force saw maximum fatalities are Mumbai with 109 deaths, Thane (35), Pune (17), Nagpur (21), Navi Mumbai (12) and Nashik (11).

So far, a total of 40,948 police personnel contracted the virus, of whom 422 (35 officers and 387 constables) have died since April 2020. Currently, there are 3,811 active cases. Around 36,715 police personnel have recovered, while around 11,129 are quarantined.

Additional director general of police (administration) Sanjeev Singhal said it was unfortunate that 68 policemen lost their lives, but the fatality rate of police is less compared to the general public. The peak could be attributed to overall second wave, he said.

“To bring effective check on this, we are aggressively pursuing vaccination of police personnel and have instructed all unit commanders to ensure strict adoption of Covid-appropriate behaviour,” Singhal said.

According to Mumbai Police spokesperson deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Chaitanya Siriprolu, a total of 8,605 police personnel tested positive for Covid-19 in the city. Of them, 109 succumbed to the infectious disease. Currently, there are 453 patients in the force who are undergoing treatment at various facilities.

The city police force also expedited the vaccination drive for its personnel. The Mumbai Police has a strength of around 45,000 personnel, of whom 33,691 have received the first vaccine dose, while 21,915 have got both the doses.

“Compared to the November-February period, daily cases of infection among police personnel in March and April have gone up. But due to vaccination, the number of serious patients is low,” said a senior officer from Mumbai Police.

In the view of surge in Covid-19 cases, Mumbai Police also opened its dedicated Covid care centre at Kalina with a capacity of 720 beds. The other three Covid centres may also be reopened if need arises.